TWC Book 8: Title and Updates (Patreon)

Since everyone is here first and foremost for the books, I didn't want to let a month go by without letting you know what has been happening with my writing. There will be more anatomical sketches, new blueprints, some appendices, and other fun stuff, but this post is just about the next book.

The eighth book of The Weirkey Chronicles will be titled Deathseed. A substantial portion of it is written, but the book isn't quite done, much less polished. Though I edit while posting, I do try to give you guys a smooth experience each book. It needs a little more yet.

I try to shift pace with every book. After the contests and ascensions of Wakespire, Deathseed will be heavily focused on soulcrafting. Theo will deal with a major conundrum, for example, and I'm curious if readers will predict the solution. Continuing with the theme of the worlds being different at Authority, the characters will have a major impact on a long-standing situation. This one also has more Navim than in any previous books, plus Krikree will return. Overall, the eighth book is about the consequences of past decisions.

Some authors feed off the energy of a release, but I am not one of them. I usually end up flattened, both by the drain of promotion and the flood of feedback. Obviously I'm not still drained now, since there's been time to recover, but all the activity throughout the release month slows me down.

Regrettably, Wakespire didn't perform as well as the previous couple books. I thought this one was pretty well-received, and I did more promotion than usual, but that didn't translate into readers at launch. Of course, it still did reasonably well and I should be grateful that everyone has given me a career that is impossible for most. But it does seem statistically likely TWC will decline from this point on, which is discouraging.

I'm not here to mope, and many of you have been vocally supportive, as in last year's post about long term series pacing. For those of you who have enjoyed the series so far, I hope you feel that it keeps getting better. There are so many things I can't wait to share with you, from development of seeds previously planted to reveals on the big mysteries to just plain more soulcrafting. My goal, as always, is for the series to be a satisfying experience for those who embrace the heart of the story, so thanks for coming along with me. ^-^